Urban development brings with it a number of advantages such as economic opportunities and improvements in the quality of life for many of its inhabitants.
However, it also brings with it significant challenges in terms of social, economic and environmental imbalances.
The UN underlines that 70 % of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from urban centers, most of which are poorly designed, with insufficient public transport and high energy consumption.
The UN’s SDG 9 “INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE” highlights the need to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
What are sustainable infrastructures?
They are all those constructions and systems that provide essential services to the population, such as roads, bridges, telecommunications networks, power plants, among others, but which are designed, built and managed in accordance with the principles of sustainability in all its dimensions.
This implies that these infrastructures must be planned, built and operated in a way that minimizes their negative impact on the environment, promotes social equity and contributes to long-term economic development. The objective of sustainable infrastructures is to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, thus promoting balanced and sustainable development.
The four dimensions of sustainable infrastructure
Sustainable infrastructure is characterized by addressing four key dimensions of sustainability:
- Environmental: sustainable infrastructures minimize their impact on the environment and promote the conservation of natural resources.
This involves the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the conservation of biodiversity, the efficient use of energy and water, and the responsible management of waste. - Social: sustainable infrastructure seeks to promote social equity and the inclusion of all people in the access and use of basic services.
This involves ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities, the creation of local employment, the improvement of the quality of life of nearby communities, and citizen participation in the planning and decision-making process. - Economic: sustainable infrastructure is economically viable in the long term and contributes to sustainable economic development.
This involves maximizing the return on investment over the life cycle of the infrastructure, fostering technological innovation and job creation, and promoting efficiency in the use of financial resources. - Institutional and governance: this dimension refers to the importance of strong institutional and governance frameworks to promote sustainability in infrastructure development and management.
This implies transparency, accountability, cooperation among different actors, and the integration of sustainability considerations into relevant policies and regulations.
Building sustainable infrastructure requires a comprehensive approach that considers and balances the various economic, social and environmental aspects involved, as well as a solid institutional and governance framework that facilitates its effective implementation.
Advantages of sustainable infrastructures
Sustainable infrastructure offers a number of important advantages that positively impact the environment, society and the economy.
Here are some of the main advantages:
- Environmental sustainability: sustainable infrastructures are designed and built to minimize their negative impact on the environment.
They use resources efficiently, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. - Improve quality of life: provide essential services, such as drinking water, sanitation, energy and transportation, in a more efficient and equitable manner.
They improve people’s quality of life by ensuring adequate access to these basic services, especially in vulnerable or underserved communities. - Resilience and adaptation: these infrastructures are more resilient to natural disasters and extreme events, such as floods, hurricanes or droughts.
They are designed to withstand and recover from these events more effectively, reducing material and human damage and promoting the adaptive capacity of communities. - Efficiency and cost savings: Sustainable infrastructures are often more efficient in terms of resource and energy consumption.
This can lead to significant long-term savings in terms of operating and maintenance costs.
In addition, they can generate additional revenue through the sale of renewable energy or other environmental services. - Employment generation and economic development: The construction and operation of sustainable infrastructure creates jobs in a variety of sectors.
This boosts local and regional economic development and contributes to the creation of a more resilient and diversified economy.
Sustainable infrastructure offers a number of advantages that go beyond environmental protection, positively impacting society and the economy by improving quality of life, promoting resilience, and generating employment and development opportunities.
Building a sustainable future
In a world where infrastructure has a significant impact on the environment and on people’s quality of life, the construction of sustainable infrastructure is emerging as a priority objective.
Society is increasingly aware that the way we build has repercussions on the planet and its inhabitants.
It is in this context that the Sustainable Infrastructure Institute, a leader in the promotion and development of environmentally friendly construction practices, plays a crucial role in guiding technicians and professionals in the sector towards building a more sustainable future.
This growing awareness drives the need to invest in sustainable infrastructure, not only as an urgent response to today’s environmental challenges, but also as an opportunity to build a more prosperous and equitable future for present and future generations.
